updated 09:20 am EDT, Thu March 12, 2009

Klipsch 3G shuffle Earbuds

Klipsch on Thursday said it's developing a set of earphones designed for the third-generation iPod shuffle. The revision will give users the same controls as with Apple's stock and In-Ear headphones, including triggering VoiceOver and switching playlists. The feature set is unknown but will result in a $100 price point, suggesting the earphones will be similar to or slightly better in quality than the just-announced Image S4s.

The news confirms relatively open-ended support for third-party earbuds on the new screenless iPod. Its requirement for separate controls has triggered fears that Apple would exercise tight control over support for non-Apple audio peripherals, but the company had said of yesterday that it would already be working with accessory makers to ensure compatibility.

Existing third-party earphones from Etymotics, Shure and others with in-line remotes typically won't work correctly as they don't include the necessary volume controls.

Makes sense, they cornered the MP3 player market already, this just means that all headphone manufactures are gonna want to start including iPhone and iPod compatible headphones. That means that the iPhone can suddenly use way more types of head phones. This is Apple leveraging the iPod accessor "community" as a way to push their agenda. Personally I'd love it if all headphones start including mics.